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Sunday, January 06, 2008

The Los Angeles Times’ cartoon that accompanies the editorial, “Israel’s False Friends” is horrifying and reminiscent of Nazi propaganda. The points made in their article show the authors to be at best misguided, but more probably, nefarious.

First, a very brief history is necessary to place things in perspective. British Mandate Palestine included present-day Israel and Jordan. Jordan was originally supposed to be the "Palestinian" state (in quotes because no nation of Palestinians ever existed until after 1947, and the Arabs who claim such heritage never saw themselves as anything other than Muslim Arabs until then). However, when England reneged on their own Balfour Declaration, and turned the status of present-day Israel's fate (including Gaza and the West Bank) over to the UN, the world body decided that three blocs of land, connected by thin strands of territory, be a Jewish state, while the remainder be an Arab state. The Arabs emphatically rejected this "two-state" solution (the very solution being suggested today), and promptly declared their intention to throw the Holocaust surviving Jews into the Mediterranean. Egypt, Syria, Jordan and soldiers from other Arab countries invaded the newly declared State. Israel was able to defend its UN-drawn borders, and Gaza went to Egypt, while the West Bank went to Jordan.

Consider: Egypt and Jordan certainly exerted no effort to set up the "Palestinian State" in their conquered territory, nor did anyone ask them to. It was understood that any territory conquered by an Arab army in Palestine belonged to the conquering state – there was no "Palestine" as a separate national Arab entity.

The Arabs did not suffer defeat well, and in 1967, massed at Israel's borders, explicitly stating their intentions for war, and again, their hopes to throw the Jews into the sea. Not one Jew would be left alive. In the clearest open miracle of two millennia, Israel destroyed its attackers in six breath-taking days, and threw the Egyptians from Gaza, and the Jordanians from the West Bank, and from the beloved Jewish capitol of Jerusalem.

After a few more attempts at war, the Arabs realized that what could not be won by the sword just might be accomplished with an olive branch. Overtures to Israel, requesting "land for peace" were met with interest on Israel's side, a suicidal reminder of just how desperately Jews want to simply be allowed to live in peace. The obvious subterfuge of the Arabs has not been realized yet by Israel or the world.

And so, into this history, Walt and Mearsheimer publish their desire for Israel to cease being an "apartheid state".

Well, here is my response, the response of a person with open eyes and a rational mind. How dare you compare Israel to apartheid South Africa? How dare you trivialize the racism, hate, and destruction that whites inflicted on the black population there by comparing it to the road blocks that are placed at strategic points in the West Bank in order to stop terrorists who are about to murder Jewish babies? The Israeli "occupation" amounts to little more than Israel's attempt to stop murderers before they blow themselves up at shopping malls. These restrictions are further reduced whenever Israeli intelligence detects a hint of a slowing of attacks. Would the United States (or any country) ever deal so gently with a population that proves its intent to destroy them? Certainly not.

The "two state" solution was offered to the Arabs in '47, and they rejected it. Thousands of Jews, the cream of Israel's crop, have died defending Israel from wars instigated by Arabs intent on destroying it. There is no evidence at all that this desire has changed, which would warrant a willingness to "take a chance for peace". On the contrary, the Arabs in Gaza and the West Bank continue to try to kill Jews, even as barriers are lifted and Israel removes itself from those areas. Walt and Mearsheimer claim that Israel still controls Gaza. This is a bold-faced lie. In 2005, Israel "disengaged" from Gaza. What did it get in return? Thousands of mortars, suicide bombers, and full-fledged rockets fired into Israel daily! Does any reader understand the enormity of this? Death, destruction, and fear instilled in citizens of Ashkelon, Sderot, only after Israel evacuates Gaza! Every few months, the range and precision of Arab missile attacks gets better. If this is the Arab response to complete control over Gaza, we shudder to think what will be in store if they ever control more.

Israel owes the Arabs and the world nothing in the way of "land for peace". It is a self-destructive move that has and will continue to cost Israeli lives, and advance nothing but Arab confidence in their ability to destroy Israel.

Finally, the "plight of the Palestinians". If the Arabs in Gaza (and the West Bank) were to put down their weapons tomorrow, their plight would cease to exist. On the other hand, if Israel were to halt its defensive roadblocks and incursions to capture known terrorists, it would cease to exist.

It is clear that what the Arabs want is the destruction of Israel – not the establishment of a 23rd Arab state.